b336a53425 It is here, at the Coronado, that things start becoming strange for Mackenzie. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. A fist-size piece of stone loosens before my eyes and tumbles down the side of the building. Perhaps the story moves too slowly and it takes too long to get to the actual conflict at the heart of the Archive. I love the concept of the Archive and its Histories. But more importantly than the pacing, the bigger question mark to me is the premise of the Archive itself, the need for Librarians, Crew, and Keepers.

The Archived FAQ.. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. The Archived is a very visual book too, and Victoria Schwab brings the hotel-turned-apartment complex to life painstakingly, slowly, brilliantly. Mac may be sixteen, but she has enough secrets and careful lies to last a lifetime believe me when I say that hers is a voice filled with pain and weighed down by the burden of responsibility. (0)ShareThisTorrent. The rationale for keeping the Archive secret makes sense (indeed, if people knew there was a netherworld where Histories are kept sleeping, they would be tearing down the doors in the hopes that they could revive or spend just another day with their departed loved ones). I loved its beautiful, atmospheric writing and a its compelling heroine but by that same token, the story was a shade too loose and sluggish, and the actual premise of the Archive at the heart of the book needs honing. Even if that means she must inherit her Das powers and become a Keeper for the great Archive where everyone goes after death, facsimiles of their dead forms containing all the memories of their lives kept in quiet, organized rows in a colossal library of the dead. Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1: There is nothing fresh about this start. By day, she does digital operations things over at Workman Publishing.